Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has visited the Rupsha rail bridge which is expected to "boost trade and connectivity" for not only Bangladesh but for the entire sub-region.

The bridge is being developed under the government of India's concessional Line of Credit(LOCs) extended to the government of Bangladesh.

During his two-day visit to Khulna Division on February 3-4, High Commissioner Pranay Verma will be visiting some of the important connectivity projects which are being developed under the Bangladesh-India development partnership.

The total length of the Rupsha bridge is over 5km and the cost of constructing the Rupsha Bridge is US$ 169.26 million.

The bridge has been constructed over the Rupsha tidal river, and its construction was a challenging engineering feat as it required use of specialized technology for piling work, said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka on Friday night.

The bridge also has additional features for ensuring navigation safety and the navigational clearance is more than 18m from standard high-water level.

India is the largest development partner of Bangladesh in South Asia.

India has already committed LOCs of nearly US$ 8 billion to Bangladesh.

The bridge is a visible example of the India-Bangladesh development partnership, said the High Commission.

The Rupsha railway bridge and the Khulna-Mongla port rail line will greatly facilitate the to and fro transportation of goods and the enhanced connectivity and accessibility to Mongla Port will improve market access for local businesses including for agricultural produce of farmers in the region.

It is also expected to positively impact tourism to prominent spots in the south-western part of Bangladesh.